Self-taught horror savants Grind Mind still turning worst nightmares into reality

If it keeps you up at night, horror film crew Grind Mind has probably made a movie about it.

The St. John's quartet vowed last October to make one freaky flick every month, and say after a year of experimenting with scripts and set design, they've sharpened their skills on a shoestring budget.

After hitting 30 and realizing they hadn't yet breathed life into their death-drivenmovie ideas, Mills said the four friends promised to regularly write and produce short films, which they post online.

Now, the crew boastsa portfolio that runs the gamut from gore-filled takes on local folklore to their newest horror-comedy web series, Deadflix.

"Ithink we've probably pissed off a few spirits along the way," laughedShane Mills, who juggles directing, editingand shooting.

Tuesday marksexactly one year since the group firstturned their nightmares into reality, churning out a broad spectrum of unnerving shorts in that time.

Mills explains there's no method to how they decide what to make next.

"We're not trying to hittouchy subjects, it's just kind of what comes to us," he said.

"We've dealt with situational terror, we've had serial killers, we did one about mummering we're trying to hit every genre as we go along, but it's very much based on what we can do, really."

Skeleton crew

Millsadmits they sometimes choose creepy folk stories for the exposure therapy: next on their list is a twist on tales of the OldHag, playing on Mills' own fear about a nighttime visitation from the old lady, who'ssaid to terrorize half-awake minds during a bout of sleep paralysis.

The DIY group operates on a skeleton crew, as JustinWisemanslyly puts it,producing theirshorts without outside intervention.

He takes care of the special effects, whilememberJohn Carter composes and Francois Van Zyl deals with writing and lighting.

"Between the four of us, we have all of the creative skills that we've always needed to make these things, we just didn't combine forces until now," said Mills.

Mills says their local spin on the indie-horror canon has garnered a fan base that helps them out when they need actors and extras, but putting together a sharp production still takes some inventive jury-rigging.

"You try to find the easiest, most efficient way to do things with the littlest amount you possibly can," Wisemansaid, describing the scrap latex piping and other supplieshe's accumulated for effects. "Silicone is a wonderful thing."

Despite the limited resources, Mills said Grind Mind has aspirations to go pro.

"We want to make a living in horror," he said

"However that comes about, we're going to continue to push, continue to release new films and hone our craft."